Fake Letters Face Congressional Scrutiny

On Thursday, October 15, Congress will hold a hearing about the fraudulent letters sent last June to convince members of Congress to oppose the House version of the climate and energy bill. The faked letters, written on the letterheads of progressive policy organizations, were written and sent by Bonner & Associates, a Washington firm contracted by the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity.

The Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming has been investigating the dozen or so letters and will hear from some of the people involved in the campaign to deliberately mislead lawmakers. Staff members from the organizations victimized by the letters are expected to testify.

The hearings come amidst a succession of political events in Washington over the last week that may have tilted momentum in favor of a strong climate and energy bill. The Senators John Kerry and Barbara Boxer introduced the Senate version of the bill in late September. Then came the meltdown at the US Chamber of Commerce as prominent members resigned or rebuked the leadership of that group for its opposition to climate action. Late last week a group of business executives met with top administration officials and called on the president to lead. And over the weekend, Senators Kerry and Lindsey Graham, a Republican of South Carolina, co-authored a widely read op-ed in the New York Times that offered a formula for bipartisan passage of the climate and energy bill.

The Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming hearing  is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m and will be streamed on live TV here.